"Sub"-Text ....

Since being here, we have seen a lot of submarines coming in and out of Devonport, which is Plymouth's Naval base, founded in 1691. Devonport is home to 7 Trafalgar class nuclear-powered submarines, and it is also responsible for refitting and refueling both nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines (though the latter are disarmed on the Clyde before coming to Plymouth which is something of a relief!). These days, all the Navy's submarines are nuclear powered, as they can remain submerged for longer periods (unlike conventionally powered ones), which makes detection by the enemy harder. Submarines returning to base are almost always escorted by at least two, if not three tugs, as this one below was, plus a police launch as well, and often a couple of RIB's to ward off any other boats nearby.

HMS Turbulent below had just returned after being away for 10 months, which apparently is one of the longest deployments for a submarine. HMS Turbulent is a T class hunter killer nuclear powered submarine (sounds alarming!) ... perhaps that is why so much security is in evidence, though luckily I have a good zoom on my camera, so we were not too close - security is a prime consideration. Apparently it is the 5th "Turbulent", the first one was commissioned in 1805, but was captured by the Danes (who were probably trying to save their bacon ... sorry!) - and bore the brunt of the attack. The Navy waited 108 years before the next Turbulent was launched in 1916 (as they have subsequently been through 4 since them, perhaps there is something in the name??)

The huge crane below, which has since been dismantled, was situated at the Plymouth Naval base of Devonport and was one of the largest cranes in Europe. It was used to refuel nuclear submarines, and with a total weight of 1,450 tonnes, and a lifting job of 120m, it had a lifting capacity of 80 tonnes. Apparently there is to be a new "world class" defueling facility, which is due for completion within the next 5 years, but there are also nasty rumours that the MoD will be moving the submarine fleet from Plymouth to Faslane (Scotland) and the frigates will go to Portsmouth ... thus leaving Devonport with a substantially reduced role. This could be a disaster for Plymouth as a whole, in terms of economy and business investment, and may result in up to 10,000 potential job losses .

The crew of a submarine are known as the "elite" within the Navy, because it is incredibly claustrophobic on a sub (as we saw when we went around one at a Devonport Open Day recently), so to be able to withstand long periods of time at sea must take a lot of internal strength. Often when the subs have surfaced and are coming into port, there are a lot of crew members working outside (see below ... probably sampling the first proper fresh air they have had for a long time)! However, apparently the air within a submarine is actually cleaner than the air outside, and many crew notice the strong smell of the ocean whenever the hatches are opened after a long time at sea.

A tribute to Francis ...

Our friend Francis House sadly and unexpectedly died in his sleep on 15th February - he was only 59. He had been to stay with us 2 weeks previously, and we had had a great weekend. Whilst he was here, he found his own Plymouth pub ... in Francis Street!

We visited Lydford Grove, which is mentioned on his blog which he started recently ... looks as if he is about to throw Bob in (but unfortunately didn't)!

We took him up to Dartmoor, which despite the rather dismal weather still looked spectacular. Whilst there he met some ponies ...

He also took many photographs of Dartmoor, which are shown below, he certainly captures the bleak beauty of the moor - by chance, he had exactly the same camera as mine, and put it to good use!

Francis had a dry and slightly acerbic sense of humour with a keen intelligence which hid a kind heart. There have been many tributes paid to him, but I think the most apt one referred to him as "one of nature's gentlemen". He was a good friend, and will be sadly missed by us all.

Hogmanay at the other end of the country ...

We spent New Year up in Scotland, with our friends Neil & Elspeth, and had a wonderful time! They had hired a cottage in Callender, which is in the Trossachs area, the beginning of the Highlands .... Rob Roy country och aye!! Most of the group were serious hill walkers/hikers, and on the first day we struggled (at least Bob and I did!) to the top of a small (apparently!) mountain - there was quite a lot of ice around - but the view from the top made it worthwhile!

The scenery in Scotland is breathtaking, mostly due to the quality of light on water, as well as the purple/gold colours of the mountains and countryside, and we made the most of our time there. This is a view across Loch Achray to the magnificent Tigh Mor hotel, with Ben A'an looming behind.

... and a peaceful scene of a boat on Loch Chon.

After spending a very enjoyable week at Callender, and celebrating NY eve with a full Scottish feast (haggis, neeps & tatties followed by cranachan and of course copious "wee drams"!) we returned to Edinburgh for a while, and went to see the royal yacht Britannia, which is now berthed there. The tour was very good, it was fascinating to look around and see the beautifully furnished State rooms (in comparision with the rather cramped berths of the Royal Navy officers/staff who looked after them!) - the dining room where the Queen entertained the rich and famous was particularly impressive, decorated with some of the gifts received from around the world ....

We also went up to the Castle to look around, it dominates the city, sitting on top of Edinburgh rock - this volcanic rock itself was formed 70 million years ago and has survived that long - thus the castle has certainly got a safe defensive position!

The view from within the grounds is spectular - this is looking out across Edinburgh towards Arthurs Seat

All in all, it was a great New Year, Edinburgh is a beautiful city with wide streets and Georgian buildings ... my grandparents used to live there, so it was good to revist the city again.

Differing colours of the sea ....

The view out over Plymouth Sound is wonderful, and it can vary considerably from day to day, depending upon clouds/light on the sea etc - sometimes the colour can change very quickly. Here are some examples below:-

Afternoon light ... sparkling silver

A bit later, it is about to rain, and the colour changes to a dark grey ...

Now we see it on a beautiful sunny day, a wonderful (picture postcard!) blue colour ...

Finally, on a peaceful & calm evening, the colour is almost transluscent white ...

There are other times when it is exceptionally stormy, but usually you can't see a thing at that time!!

Wall of Death on the Hoe!!

A few weeks ago, there was a motorcycle rally on the Hoe, which also featured "The Wall of Death"! This can be described as a carnival sideshow, featuring a drum- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder with high perpendicular walls, ranging in size from 20 to 36-feet in diameter, where stunt motorcyclists ride and carry out tricks. The audience views from the top of the drum, looking down. The bikes start in the middle, at the bottom of the drum, and drive up an initial ramped section until they gain enough velocity to drive horizontal to the floor, defying gravity. It was an incredible show, starting with a go-kart ...

followed by one of the motorcyclists - notice he is not using his hands AND has got his feet over the handlebars - let alone the fact he is also defying gravity!!

And as a finale ... all three together!!

The whole show was fascinating ... luckily, Bob has not been tempted to give it a try since then! Apparently they find it difficult to get insurance - I can't say I am surprised.

Plymouths Fireworks Festival!

Plymouth hosts one of the most spectacular pyrotechnic displays anywhere in the country as the British Fireworks Championships Finals are staged over two evenings in mid-August. It consists of four displays per evening, each one lasting 10 minutes - thus a total of eight leading fireworks companies battle it out for the honour of being crowned British Champions, after which they represent Britain in the International Competition. This year we were lucky with the weather, although on both days it was rather windy with showers, by the evening it had calmed down, and was warm enough for crowds of people to stand and watch the event - the finals are eagerly anticipated by many thousands of people each year. We were fortunate, of course, being in our flat on the Hoe, we had a birds-eye view! We had Bob's sister/brother-in-law staying with us at the time - the show was excellent, at one point they even had various shapes lighting up the sky, as shown in the video below - see how many you can spot (click on the forward arrow on/below the picture to play ... please excuse background "wow's" and squeals/comments etc - normal firework behaviour I guess!) :-

Apparently the show has never yet been cancelled, even if the weather is exceptionally bad which it has been occasionally.

Mount Edgecombe

We can see Mount Edgecombe, which is actually in Cornwall, from our flat window. It is a beautiful spot, and we have been there a couple of times already. The house was built in the 1500's and is set in Grade 1 Cornish gardens, within 865 acres on the Rame Penninsula. I took it from a boat on a slightly windy day, so apologies for it being crooked (my excuse - but not a glass of wine in sight, honest!).

The landscaped gardens themselves are fantastic ...

and there are many walks around the Edgecombe Country Park. With its lakes and woodlands ....

as well as cliffs and panoramic views around the Sound (you can see Elliot Terrace and the Hoe in the distance), it is easy to see why this is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Apparently, in the year 1588, the admiral of the Spanish Fleet saw Mount Edgecombe from the sea, and was so affected by the sight, that he resolved to have it for himself when they had "conquered" England- but of course, that did not happen ...